The Necessity of Partnerships in TVET

Government usually plays a primary role in directly managing the delivery of core social services such as health education, social welfare and access programs.

As governments downsize, they may look for multiple suppliers and providers of services in areas in which partnership participation is possible.

As an example, in the Philippines, 80% of University education and of TVET is provided by the private sector. Most governments are still in a transition.

TVET must be partnership based. As beneficiaries are required to financially support the system, they must be included in both design and management of that system. Without their participation in meaningful ways, TVET will not have credibility.

Government usually plays a primary role in directly managing the delivery of core social services such as health education, social welfare and access programs.

As governments downsize, they may look for multiple suppliers and providers of services in areas in which partnership participation is possible.

As an example, in the Philippines, 80% of University education and of TVET is provided by the private sector. Most governments are still in a transition.

TVET must be partnership based. As beneficiaries are required to financially support the system, they must be included in both design and management of that system.

Without their participation in meaningful ways, TVET will not have credibility.

Employment.

The TVET system is driven by the demand for employment. Those who create employment must be the primary influence on the system.

If TVET graduates are not acceptable to Enterprise and are not hired by Enterprise, the system has failed.

If workers cannot have ready access to skills upgrading and the quality of new skill development that meets Enterprise requirements, the system has failed again.

Demand drives TVET: that is, the demand of Enterprise for a skilled workforce to support economic growth and the gradual improvement of life for all members of the community.

Therefore, Enterprise needs to set the skills requirements for each job and the level of these skills as well as accept a national vocational qualifications framework to create salary structures.

It is neither possible nor desirable for Government to be the sole or even primary financial provider for TVET.

The cost of the equipment required to ensure that those completing training are job-ready is massive. One student station in mechatronics can cost over $150,000.

Simulators are increasingly available, but even these require significant recurrent as well as initial capital funding.

Partners must have a central role in the planning, management and funding of TVET. It is a separate system from school based learning with different drivers, different objectives, different flexibility and responsiveness.

As such, it is structured differently with different components than the school system. A further lesson is that among the partners, Enterprise must play the primary role in setting skills standards. 

If graduates do not reach Enterprise standards, they will not be hired and the investment in training will be wasted. TVET must be driven by demand for skills, primarily from Enterprise and self-employment.

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